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When Dick had been taken under the wing of Bruce Wayne and learnt of his adopted father’s rather…odd desire to cosplay as a bat and roam the streets of Gotham at night, he’d taken it all in stride.
Becoming Robin, the light that contrasted Batman’s utterly uncalled for but still ever so present broody personality had given Gotham a steady balance to fall back on. While Batman had once alone dealt with most of the heavy hitters like The Joker, Poison Ivy, Scarecrow and all the other lunatics that roamed the night craving chaos, Robin gave enough encouragement for the citizens to call for help upon smaller, criminal activity.
He’d stopped petty thieves and muggers, had the intellect to disable bombs, hack into gang wars that were a constant in crime alley, then break into the warehouses of said gangs and manage to take them down all before Alfred had a chance to make breakfast.
Living with Bruce Wayne had meant living with Batman, and living with Batman meant living for Gotham.
…Which entailed pushing down his civilian identity till Dick Grayson was scuffed out and there was only Robin left.
Moving to Jump city had been on a whim.
Bruce had just been so frustrating, unwilling to listen—not Bruce.
Batman. Because clearly, Bruce was nowhere to be found since that bat-cosplaying workaholic decided to appear full-time instead of just being a night time hobby.
He wasn’t that mad about whatever they had fought about now. In retrospect, leaving Gotham had clearly been the best decision he’d ever made. The day he’d made his debut as a solo hero in Jump city was the same day all his plans had gone flying out the window when a streak of neon green had shone overhead and there landed Princess Koriand’r of Tamaran.
She’d been on a rampage back then, destroying the city in an effort to get the power inhibitors off before she’d let him get close enough to prove he wasn’t a threat. She’d stared, face blank but with pure bewilderment as he unlocked her cuffs for her before she’d grabbed his collar and pulled him in for an impro make out session that had honestly not lasted long enough in his opinion before he was shoved roughly to the ground.
“If you wish not to be destroyed, then stay out of my way.”
Funny how he had done the exact opposite, the rest of the team following behind.
Looking back, Robin realises Kori’s the reason the Teen Titans had formed to begin with.
It’s a sudden realisation, and one he belatedly wonders why he’d never come to that conclusion to begin with. It was so glaringly obvious that Robin would’ve smacked himself in the face had Starfire’s head hadn’t been resting comfortably in his lap, his cool fingers gently raking through her hair distractedly as she stared wide eyed and fascinated by the television.
His expression softens. He’d gone from side-kick to the leader of the Teen titans rather abruptly, but he can’t really find himself regretting his decision. Despite the times he finds himself missing the thrill of running across buildings in the late nights of Gotham with his mentor by his side.
He misses going to Batburger after patrol and ordering himself a Robin meal to go before sitting on the higher roof tops of Wayne Enterprises and chowing down on his nuggets while Batman sits besides him, lecturing him on whatever mission they’d gone through before getting out of his emotional constipation for a brief moment to praise him.
“You did good tonight, Robin.”
Bruce didn’t give those praises to Dick. He gave them to Robin, and maybe that was why he’d been so ready in throwing his civilian identity away.
Starfire shifts beneath him, and it’s enough to pull him out of his musings for a moment as she looks up towards him, pure curiosity behind her eyes.
“Tell me Robin, is it normal for humans to be snorting white powder up their noses?”
The question was so incomprehensible that it bulldozed through his brain abruptly as the boy wonder’s hand stilled, snapping his head wide eyed and alarmed towards the television screen to see what in the flying fuck had been playing for the past half hour that he hadn’t been paying attention towards.
Starfire just furrowed her brows cutely, tilting her head towards him in complete confusion while he gawked at the screen, feeling his face grow pale.
“Robin?”
“I—uh, its nothing Star. Let’s watch something else.”
This further confused the alien as she frowned, pulling the remote out of his reach. “Why? You were not upset about it when we had been watching the previous scenes earlier.”
That was because he hadn’t been paying attention to any of the precious scenes earlier, but he couldn’t really say that. Dick didn’t know whether to groan and jump out of the window or just ruin Starfire’s idealism of earth.
“It’s just—they’re drugs Star. They can take the edge off for some people but they’re not good to use long term.”
Starfire blinks slowly but nods in understanding. “So that woman shouldn’t be snorting it off of that naked man’s chest?”
Off of what—what the fuck were they watching?!
Robin gaped owlishly back towards the obvious strip club scene that was going on and immediately paled before going back to grabbing the remote. “Star, seriously let’s watch something else.” In that moment Dick mentally promised himself that he would never let Starfire pick a movie again without him seeing it first because heaven forbid they ever end up watching fifty shades of grey.
She sat up, frowning and crawling into his lap to snag the control back. “But I’ve never seen something like this before! I wish to understand.”
“There’s nothing to want to understand, trust me—”
The sudden sounds of moans could be heard and both titans snapped their heads towards the television. Starfire in mild curiosity and Robin in pure mortification as they watched the woman on the screen go down onto her knees in front of the man.
“Oh hell no.” His fingers immediately went to press on a button, any fucking button to salvage the situation but Starfire was quicker and towered over him, ripping the control away with ease and causing the boy wonder to let out a yelp as he landed with his back against the couch.
Robin’s eyes doubled in size behind the mask and Starfire just grinned as she straddled him, holding the remote up almost mockingly in front of him.
“Star…”
She tilted her head then, tucking a loose strand of long hair behind her ear. The light from the large television screen illuminating onto her features and causing her already piercing green eyes to shine that much brighter as she stared at him in both amusement and curiosity.
Robin’s breath hitched as he groaned in resignation and covered his eyes with his arm.
The light in her eyes could’ve drowned out the stars.
“Please, I don’t understand what’s gotten you so upset, Robin. The movie’s purely a concept, is it not?”
Robin has never prayed so strongly for a deity out there to hear his pleas and call for a villain to be loose in Jump city.
“That’s not the point, Star—”
The sounds of low grunts and moans could be heard through the speakers and his cheeks heated up immediately as the pair turned their attention back towards the TV watching as the woman on screen had her cheeks puffed out, lips suctioned on the man’s cock—
Flustered, Dick groaned “Why’d you have to pick a porno to watch?”
Starfire, to her credit, just blinks “A what?”
Groaning, Robin covers his eyes mumbling “Never mind.”
Despite, no deities actually listening to his earlier prayer, he can’t help but be thankful for the rest of the titans being out visiting the Titans East. Small blessings to come out of this nightmare, he supposed.
He wouldn’t be able to live it down if Cyborg had walked in on them—or Beastboy, or heaven fucking forbid Kid Flash pay them a visit. That idiot had been spending far too much time with Jinx and he would rather shoot himself in the head than be subjected to Wally teasing him.
Wally would tell The Flash, and that would just go back to Bruce—
Just, no.
“I don’t understand, isn’t this normal?” Star asks, frowning. “On my planet, this is customary for people to be physically attracted to each other.”
Instantly, this freezes something inside of Dick as he slowly looks back up towards the princess still straddling him and finds his hands gripping her hips. “What do you mean?”
“Sex.” She blinks, inclining her head back towards the screen. “Is it not normal on this planet?”
Robin feels his cheeks heat up once again but he manages to fight the blush as his mind is suddenly preoccupied with a more alarming thought of whatever ex flings his girlfriend has had. Feeling annoyance bubbling under his skin, he sighs. “I—no, it is. I guess it’s a taboo subject. It depends on the person, or the culture but not everyone is as open to it as Tamaraneans, I suppose. ”
“Then, are you not comfortable with the topic?” Pausing the movie, she asks, eyes wide and curious causing Dick to just find the ceiling suddenly extremely interesting.
”It’s not—I don’t know. I don’t mind it.” He grumbles, grudgingly.
“Then I do not understand your reluctance to view the film.” She pouts, clearly frustrated while Robin tries to regain his bearings before sitting up and readjusting their position so that she was back in his lap.
“I suppose you’re right.” He sighs, hands tracing up her thighs before quickly becoming out of sight and under the ‘Robin’ pyjama top she was wearing. The sight of the cheap ‘R’ being stitched onto the front made his mood lighten.
He wasn’t an idiot. Starfire’s planet were a lot more open about their sexuality and it wasn’t like he wasn’t aware of the fact that she’d definitely had her fair share of flings before coming to earth.
Starfire blinks in surprise then, before smiling and linking her arms around his neck as a sense of realisation dawns to her. “Robin…are you perhaps, jealous?”
A part of him wants to reel at the accusation, but it’s not like he can really hide much around Star to begin with. He rolls his eyes and grumbles, but his breath hitches when she laughs, soft and light.
She unlinks her arms and reaches for his face instead. Dick feels himself tense but her hands are gentle as she pulls the domino mask away from his eyes and her expression softens.
“Humans are so strange.” She hums absently and he frowns, opening his mouth to object but Starfire cuts him off.
“Maybe not all humans, maybe for this instance it could primarily be about you, but on my planet it is expected to exhibit our true intentions on display.” She brushes his hair back and Dick feels his face heat up. “We do not shy away from our emotions.”
“I mean, it’s kind of hard to do that when we’re superheroes, Star.” He grumbles, attempting to avoid eye contact with the space princess sat in his lap.
Starfire hums again, eyes flickering from his eyes and towards his lips before continuing. “Perhaps,” She agrees, “—but we’re not superheroes all the time, Dick.”
He stares, turning his head back. “No.” licking his lips apprehensively, he agrees. “I guess we’re not.”
Tilting her head, long red strands fall across her arms as she looks at him rather expectant. Eyes darkening and causing his mouth to turn dry. “So tell me Richard, what is it you want to do?”
Face growing blank, he found his grip on her thighs tightening before easily lifting her up. He didn’t need to say anything as her legs locked around his waist. Using one hand to make sure she didn’t fall, before bolting to his room, Starfire’s laughter ringing in the empty halls.
Extra
It won’t be till the next morning does the entire tower get rudely woken up by Beast boy’s horrified screeching “WHO WAS WATCHING PORN ON MY GAME STATION?!”